The Palette of Poetry: Finding Beauty in Every Hue

 A palette of an artist with different colors of paints | Photo by Hendrik Will on Unsplash

Words in a poem are often used as symbols in the same way that colors are used in a painting. Poems are filled with various hues and can comprise many feelings. They range from the warmest and brightest center to the darkest and roughest tint. Incorporating symbolism using color can help the audience interpret the poem. This is the poet’s way of giving abstract emotions a tangible quality.  A wide variety of these will be incorporated into every poem as every artist writes and interprets one using different concepts. This is how the palette of poetry is born. 

From an artist’s perspective, a palette is a messy place for combining hues and colors. Similarly. for poets, the palette may refer to a variety of literary devices and imagery put in one place,  carefully combined to craft a powerful poem. While it can be filthy at times or appear abstract, you can still find beauty in every word, in every hue.

Poems deal with adventure, personal growth, and, of course, love. Raymond Quattlebaum’s The Color of Love discusses not only the obvious topic of love but also poetry and the Divine. With these topics, poetry combines all the colors fused into one.  

Colors as Symbols of Emotion

What are the colors of poetry?

Poetry has no exact color or specific shade. It does not depend on the hue but on you. It depends on the rivers of your mind and the colors of your emotions.  As poets, the color of poetry depends on the person’s emotional attachment. Therefore, the palette of poetry can contain as many different colors as possible.  As many different artworks can be combined throughout poetry and history, emotions are common themes in multiple forms and colors.

1. Red: Passion and Intensity

Among the palette of poetry, red is the color of blood, fire, and every compelled feeling of hate and range. Regarding poems, red represents action and something that has strong feelings. A romantic poet would call the “scarlet hue of lovers’ blushing” as part of romance or the “red haze of rage” as a reflection of conflict. Red as a tone can be the center color in poetry since it has a lot of strong human feelings inside of it. Being a dramatic emotion makes it quite common for poets with passionate themes to enjoy the deepness of red.

2. Blue: Calm and Melancholy

Have you heard the line, “ I’m feeling blue.” ?

It is because blue is an emotionally broad color, as it can be sweetly cool or depressively sad. Blue is used in serene contexts in poetry, as in “the peaceful breeze of blue skies,” but sadness is also blue: “a heart soaked in dark blue.” The third color from the primary colors allows the poets to discuss self-analysis, seclusion, and aspirations, whereby these progressions are usually a reaction to complex emotions present in each phase of life.

3. Yellow: Joy and Optimism

Yellow is happiness and sunshine put together. Seeing the sunflowers and the “keys that are glowing amid dark fields” brings happiness and warmth toward life, and “the tiny glow from an amber in the dark” signifies the will to confront and overcome darkness and sad experiences. Yellow is about excitement and fun, a loving tint in a poem that brightens one’s day instead of darkness and sorrow.

4. Black: Mystery and Despair

The color black is associated with the unknown, death, and despair, which adds to the dimension and drama of the metaphor. Statements like “a shadowed path swathed in obsidian” altitude mystery while “the stillness of night that extends into a void” express bereavement. Apart from this, the nakedness of the black forces one to face their fears and uncertainties, which is why it is an important aspect when trying to unravel the more sinister parts of mankind.

5. Green: Renewal and Jealousy

Green symbolizes growth and nature associated with freshness, peace, and life. A poet thus may talk of “emerald shoots burst through the soil” to signify tinged with expectations and new possibilities. But jealousy thus has its meaning, a vision that shows “the green-eyed beast of envy” looks appealing and of sensuality. This double symbolism gives poets room to explore the nurturing and, at the same time, the cruelty.

6. White: Purity and Absence

In most poems, the color white connotes ideals of purity, innocence, or even peace. The delicate quote, “the gown of the bride is glowing under the whiteness of light,” brings with it simplicity and goodness. What is most interesting is that white can equally mean the absence of warmth or life in “a barren landscape,” which enables the poet to discuss ideas of loss and continuity in the same line.

7. Gray: Ambiguity and Transition

Gray, the combination of black and white, is a color that represents liminality and uncertainty. It is used to interpret the ‘cloudiness’ of a situation as when “the sky is unbounded by features other than slates,” evoking uncertainty and the in-between states of being. Gray provides a nuanced emotional tone, capturing moments of reflection, uncertainty, or quiet resilience.

The Palette of Poetry Unveiled

Poetry reminds us that every shade, even the darkest, has its own beauty. The melancholic grays of loss or the fiery reds of passion are as essential to life as the soft pastels of peace or the vibrant yellows of happiness. Through poetry, readers learn to appreciate the contrasts and find meaning in every shade.

The palette of poetry reveals that life’s beauty lies in its kaleidoscope of hues. From vivid colors that symbolize joy to muted shades that represent struggle, poetry captures the essence of human emotions and experiences. Its colorful imagery teaches us to embrace every aspect of life, finding meaning in both light and shadow.

Grab a copy of Poetry In Motion and The Color of Love by Raymond Quattlebaum. Get it now!